Russia bans porn site, Redtube, over child pornography

MOSCOW, September 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia has banned pornographic website Redtube.com, reportedly one of the world’s 100 most popular sites, because it featured animated Japanese content deemed “child pornography,” RIA Novosti affiliate Digit.ru reported Friday.

“Experts” at Russia’s federal communications watchdog determined that the animated content – hentai – was in fact child pornography, Digit.ru reported, citing an agency spokesman. Redtube was still accessible in Moscow on Friday.

The website was placed on the blacklist on Thursday, according to the watchdog’s online register. Any blacklisted site has three days from the time of notification to remove the offensive material, or Russian Internet service providers have to block it.

Redtube has been ranked as the 96th most popular site by the Alexa web traffic tracker, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Russia’s federal communications watchdog determined in June that hentai has no cultural value, Digit.ru reported.

Russia adopted a law late last year allowing extrajudicial blacklisting of websites deemed to contain child pornography or advocate drug use or suicide.

Websites put on the blacklist have included a Russian-language Wikipedia article on cannabis-smoking and YouTube videos that officials said promoted suicide.